This invention relates to an improved soy oil based ink and the subsequent development of a soy oil based medium which has broad application to not only the printing industry but writing instrument industry, the coding and marking ink industry, coating industry, dye industry as well as in the fine arts.
Soy ink has only recently been developed and has been generally publicly available since May, 1987. Initial research of the original soy ink was done by the American Newspaper Publisher's Association, with the idea in mind of producing an alternative to petroleum based inks for use in the newspaper industry. Currently, soy ink is available for use in the newsprinting industry only and due to problems with drying, misting, gumming, general acceptance is not evident. These problems have restricted any other application of a soy oil based product to this industry alone.
Soy ink, as used by the newsprinting industry is comprised of soy oil, and conventional pigment material. It is by definition, a non-drying ink that must be changed, formula-wise, by the individual printer to suit a particular printing job, press or paper substrate. Individual printers rely on common knowledge information and add cobalt, petroleum based thinners, resins and waxes to improve the ink's performance.
Compared to petroleum based inks, soy ink, while a more environmentally safe product, is also a much slower drying product. This slower drying can cause smudging, bleeding through, and valuable time loss.
Soy ink, as now available on the market, is generally comprised of the ink oil, or soy oil, and conventional pigment material. Of course, for newspaper use the black ink pigment used to formulate newspaper ink is carbon black. However it goes without saying that variety of other conventional ink pigments can be used. Currently, soy ink is available in red, yellow, blue and black pre-mixed soy ink. Among other places soy ink can be purchased through Flint Ink of 2024 96th Street, Clive, Iowa; from General Printing Ink Company of 515 Park Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50315; from J. M. Hubert Co. of McCook, Ill., and from U.S. Printing, Inc. of 232 Rainbow Drive, Sedalia, Mo. 65301. General information on soy ink can be obtained from the American Newspaper Publisher's Association, Office of the Director of Technical Research, 1600 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Va. 22091.
One of the primary advantages of the present invention is to overcome the known deficiencies of the original soy ink developed for the newspaper industry. In addition, the present invention serves to extend application of a soy oil and pigment ink to other area of application currently enjoyed by petroleum-based or linseed oil-based formulations.
Another primary advantage of the present invention is to modify soy ink formulations so that soy ink can be used as an artist's medium to provide an art medium fully comparable to water colors which does not have the disadvantages of water colors, namely bleeding, smudging, and adverse wrinkling effects on the substrate artist's paper.
A further advantage of the present invention is to provide a general purpose paint composition based upon soy ink which has improved covering properties, which will not easily chip, wipe off, or scratch, and which can cover difficult virgin substrate surfaces such as some plastics and certain metals.
Other advantages include a highly permanent drawing ink, resistant to alkyd-based artist's paints, (such as watercolor), a solvent-based ballpoint pen ink, a highly permanent dye for fabrics and leather, a coating suitable for metals, wood, plastics, masonry and ceramics and a versatile artist's medium which, depending upon the individual is in either solvent or water-based formulation.
The method and means of providing the improved soy ink formulations to achieve the advantages above mentioned as well as others will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows hereinafter.